Ocean Water Section 2 Section 2: Life in the Oceans Preview Objectives Ocean Chemistry and Marine Life Ocean Environments Upwelling

Ocean Water Section 2 Objectives Explain how marine organisms alter the chemistry of ocean water. Explain why plankton can be called the foundation of life in the ocean. Describe the major zones of life in the ocean.

Ocean Water Section 2 Marine organisms help maintain the chemical balance of ocean water. They do this by * During a marine organism’s lifetime, the organism absorbs and stores nutrients from the ocean. These nutrients are eventually returned to the water when the organism dies. Ocean Chemistry and Marine Life

Ocean Water Section 2 Upwelling upwelling * In general, all of the elements necessary for life are consumed by organisms near the surface. Elements are then released back into the ocean water when organisms die, sink to lower depths, and decay. Thus, deep water is a storage area for nutrients needed for life. Ocean Chemistry and Marine Life, continued

Ocean Water Section 2 Marine Food Webs, continued nekton * benthos * The plankton are consumed primarily by small marine organisms, which, in turn, become food for larger marine organisms. These larger animals fall into two groups. Ocean Chemistry and Marine Life, continued

Ocean Water Section 2 Marine Food Webs plankton * Plankton form the base of the complex food webs in the ocean. Ocean Chemistry and Marine Life, continued

Ocean Water Section 2 benthic zone * pelagic zone * The amount of sunlight, the water temperature, and the water pressure determines the distribution of marine life within these zones. Ocean Environments

Ocean Water Section 2 Benthic Zones * is called the intertidal zone. Most of the organisms that live in the benthic zone live in the shallow sublittoral zone. The bathyal zone begins at the continental slope and extends to a depth of 4,000 m. Ocean Environments, continued

Ocean Water Section 2 Benthic Zones, continued The abyssal zone has no sunlight because it begins at a depth of 4,000 m and extends to a depth of 6,000 m. The hadal zone is confined to the ocean trenches, which are deeper than 6,000 m below the surface of the water. Ocean Environments, continued

Ocean Water Section 2 Pelagic Zones * is called the neritic zone. The oceanic zone extends into the deep waters beyond the continental shelf. It is divided into four zones, based on depth. The epipelagic zone is the uppermost area of the oceanic zone. The mesopelagic, bathypelagic, and abyssopelagic zones occur at increasingly greater depths. Ocean Environments, continued

Ocean Water Section 2 The diagram below shows the marine environments. Ocean Environments, continued

Ocean Water Section 2 Upwelling